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I (No Model) E.C.OROOKER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 596,054. Patented De0.28,1897.

a .m imam ski WITNESSES UNITE STATES I Tricia EBEN C. CROCKER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO EDWIN C. I-IOWVE, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,054, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed April 23, 1897 Serial No. 633,499. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBEN O. ORocKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has reference to electric railways in the construction of which are used a supply-conductor or line-wire, a third rail which comprises insulated sections, and a shoe or other collector device depending from the car in contact with these sections.

My present invention in respect to the arrangement of the magnets and switches embodies the construction shown and described in an application for patent filed by me on even date herewith; and the object of the present invention is to enable the car to run in either direction.

In this present application, therefore, I do not wish to be understood as making any broad claim to the arrangement of magnets and switches shown, since such arrangement is fully covered by my pending application aforesaid.

The accompanying drawing illustrates in plan View my improvement, and for the purposes of a clear understanding of my invention I have shown the sectional conductors and the supply-conductor on opposite sides of the magnets, although in practice they would occupy locations respectively above and below such magnets.

I employ two series of magnets l 2, respectively, which are'arranged in horizontallydisposed couplets, and between each couplet and within the magnetic field of both magnets thereof is a pivoted switch 3, capable of bein g operated in connection with insulated contacts 4 5 to close and open the various branch circuits, as will be presently explained. All these magnets are double-wound that is to say, each magnet has two separate windings, so that it may be energized by passing a current through either winding.

The magnets 1 of each series are connected up in pairs composed of quaternate magnets, with pairs of the other series of magnets composed of alternate magnets intervening between the quaternate magnets of the first series, so as to form a series of branch circuits along the line, each circuit comprising four magnets. Forexample, referring to the drawing, and counting from the left of the illustration, the first magnet 1 is connected with the second magnet 2, the circuit then continuing and taking in the fifth magnet 1 and the fourth magnet 2, so that it will be clear that quaternate magnets of one series are connected up in circuit with the intervening alternate magnets of the other series. The terminals of these circuits have connection, respectively, with the supply-conductor 6 and one of the insulated contacts 5,while the insulated sections 7 are respectively connected with the other contacts 4, so that it will be clear that the operation of the switches 3 against these contacts will close the various circuits between the supply-conductors and the sections.

In connecting up these magnets in the manner above set forth to form the various branch circuits it will be clear that each magnet will be in two separate circuits which pass through the separate windings, and it will also be clear that the section immediately succeeding and the section immediately preceding the section which has contact with the power-collector of the car will be in branch circuits which are unbroken between the supply-conductor and such sections, so that such branch circuits will be closed by contact with the power-collector as the car travels in either direction.

In the drawing I have illustrated the powercollector in dotted lines and have designated the same by the numeral 8, and by tracing the branch circuit of which the section in contact with the collector is the terminal it will be ascertained that the power is furnished from the supply-conductor at the point a, thus energizing the second magnet 1 and thereby effecting the breaking of the branch circuit between the supply-conductor and the second sectional conductor 7, also energizing the third magnet 2 and thereby completing the circuit between the supply-conductor and the third sectional conductor 7, and also energizing the fifth magnet 2 and thereby com to close such circuit until it is withdrawn by 1 the energized fourth magnet 1.

The particular manner heretofore described of coupling these magnets in the various branch circuits is deemed to be essential in order to give the best results, which latter contemplate three consecutive sectional conductors in completed circuits at one time, the middle one of such conductors having contact with the collector; but of course it would be a very simple matter involving no invention,

but merelya different coupling up of the magnets, to bring four or more consecutive or alternate sectional conductors into completed circuits at the same time, this being a matter which really depends upon the length of the sectional conductors in view of the precautions which must necessarily be taken in order to prevent sections that are practically alive from extending beyond the car in either direction. I therefore do not wish to be limited with respect to the coupling up of the magnets for the purpose of making more or less branch circuits at one time, since the gist of my invention rests in the broad idea of providing the double-wound magnets in hori zontally-disposed couplets and in establishing separate branch circuits with properlyoperating circuit makers and breakers within the fields of the magnets.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. I11 an electric-railway system which comprises a supply-conductor, a third rail consistin g of insulated sections, and a power-collector carried by the car, the two series of double-Wound magnets arranged in horizontally-disposed couplets, the magnets of one series being connected in quaternate pairs in circuit with pairs of alternate magnets of the other series, and connections with said conductor and sections through intermediate circuit closers and breakers operated by the in agnets, whereby the section having contact with the collector is in closed circuit while the sections immediately succeeding and preceding are in circuits capable of being closed by the collector, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric-railway system which comprises a supply-conductor, a third rail consisting of insulated sections, and a power-cot lector carried by the car, the two series of double-wound magnets arranged in horizontally-disposed couplets, said magnets being connected in separate branch circuits whose terminals are respectively connected with the supply-conductor and through switches with the various sections, said switches being 0perated by the magnets to open and close said circuits as the power-collector comes in contact with the various sections, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the supply-conductor and the insulated sections, with the two series of double-wound magnets arranged in horizontally-disposed couplets, the switches between the magnets of each couplet and within the field of both magnets, the two insulated contacts one series of which is connected with said sections, the magnets of one series being in circuit in quatcrnate pairs with the two intervening alternate magnets 0f the other series, the terminals of the circuits thus formed being connected respectively with the supply-conductor and with the other series of contacts, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EBEN O. CROCKER.

Witnesses:

F. W. SMITH, J12, M. 'l. LoNcDEN. 

